Access to Healthcare and Health Seeking Behaviour among Female Head Porters in Kumasi, Ghana: The Impact on Public Health

Abstract

Given the nodality of Kumasi, the city attracts migrants from all parts of Ghana into its market space. Notable among such migrants are the female head porters popularly called “Kayayie”. As a result of the expensive rents in urban space, female head porters live in kiosks, verandas, and squatters in any available space. This exposes the porters to a myriad of environmental and health risks amidst poor health-seeking behaviour. This study sought to examine access to health and health-seeking behaviour of female head porters in Kumasi. The study adopted quantitative methods in collecting and analyzing data. The primary units of the investigation were female head porters. The study used a sample size of 250 respondents who were interviewed through self-administered questionnaires. Findings show that only 25.2% of the respondents had access to healthcare, as about 74.8% lacked access to basic healthcare. The majority of those who had access to healthcare (54%) go to the health facility by foot, while about 42.9% access the facility by car. Though 71.4% of the head porters were subscribers of NHIS, only 25.2% resort to professional healthcare givers when they are sick. Generally, access to health and health-seeking was poor among the female head porters. The study recommended the expansion of health facilities, especially in poor urban communities, and education on health-seeking among head porters. Keywords: Female head porters, Health seeking behaviour, Health conditions, Migration; Urban poor.